For Whom the Belle Tolls (All of Us!)

Because of the Broken TV Situation, I’m perpetually a day behind now, which upsets me until I start the previous day’s episode and have to deal with this.

She is truly just THE WORST. You would’ve thought nearly eight years off would’ve softened my hatred for Belle, but no — it’s back like I’m trapped in 2008 and I’ve been watching this character whine and flail limply for a decade straight. “Eric’s in jail? How terrible. I’ll do anything to help him — well, not visit him, but I’ll do some lawyering stuff, because I need some files so I look busy when Philip approaches me at the coffee house. Why is everybody blaming meeeeeeee for everything? How come my 15-year-old daughter is being such a brat just because, instead of supporting her dreams or even listening to her, I ran off to Vegas with my ex-husband? Why is everyone so mean to me?!” Shut up! I honestly thought she was going to smack Marlena — who for once was making a reasonable point — and snap at her, like, “Cram it, you hag! I got flirtin’ to do!”

I still don’t understand why either Philip or Shawn would want to be with her. And that conversation between the two of them was atrociously one-dimensional. This is the first time these two have seen one another in years. No discussion about Shawn’s father, who was also Philip’s brother and recently died? No mention of their mutual relative who just had a heart transplant? No, no, gotta thump our chests and bicker over Belle. Ugh. It’s really gross to me that Shawn’s been back in Salem for a day or three days or whatever, and we haven’t seen him with Hope or Ciara or Julie or Jennifer or anyone but the people directly involved in this forced, odious triangle.

Speaking of terrible:

Poor Brady for having to see this in his sleep! Yikes. I was almost at the point of saying that I might be willing to trade Belle for Daniel, because at least he was nice to his kids, but then they had to go and dredge this up. Maybe we can just get a 2-for-1 deal at the crematorium instead?

Thank yourself. I was on your page yesterday and when I went to click the link over to Spoiler Free Days I somehow made an errant mouse click and SoapHub popped up. I saw their link and clicked on it and found myself sitting here at work yesterday mourning Salem greatest citizen within a couple of hours of the actual time the show had aired.